CHICAGO (AP) — An off-duty police commander was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon in downtown Chicago after he spotted a man matching the radio description of an armed suspect officers were chasing on foot, the city's police superintendent said.

By Maayan Lubell and Lisa Barrington JERUSALEM/BEIRUT (Reuters) – Anti-aircraft fire downed an Israeli warplane returning from a bombing raid on Iran-backed positions in Syria on Saturday in the most serious confrontations yet between Israel and Iranian-backed forces based across the border. The F-16, one of at least eight Israeli planes despatched in response to what Israel said was an Iranian drone’s incursion into its airspace earlier in the day, was hit by a Syrian anti-aircraft missile and crashed in northern Israel, an Israeli official told Reuters. Israel then launched a second and more intensive air raid, hitting what it said were 12 Iranian and Syrian targets in Syria, including Syrian air defense systems.

A man fatally shot in New Orleans has been identified as a Black Lives Matter activist known for his leap through police tape at a South Carolina demonstration last year as he attempted to seize a Confederate battle flag from a protester.

Many cite the risk of getting sick as a reason to not get a flu shot, but the truth is that there’s no live flu virus in the shot, so it cannot make you sick. Any symptoms means your immune system is kicking in.

Syrian rebels shot down a Russian warplane for the first time on Saturday and Russia’s defence ministry said the pilot was killed as he resisted capture by jihadists. The Su-25 was destroyed over the rebel-held northwestern province of Idlib as it provided air support to pro-Assad regime forces attacking the city of Saraqeb. Video footage showed the Russian jet manoeuvring over Idlib and then a parachute emerging after it was hit. “The pilot had enough time to announce he had ejected into the zone, under the control of al-Nusra Front fighters," the Russian defence ministry said, referring to a jihadist group linked to al-Qaeda. "The pilot was killed in fighting against terrorists." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) also said the pilot was killed as he resisted being taken captive. But several opposition activists claimed he was already dead by the time rebel fighters reached him and he appeared to have died during ejection. #Breaking Jaish al-Nasr releases clearer footage of the shooting down of a Russian jet over Idlib #Syriapic.twitter.com/Qnsv7e4Gv6— Michael A. Horowitz (@michaelh992) February 3, 2018 A photograph circulated by rebel groups showed a bloodied corpse wearing a white uniform. The pilot was not officially identified but a Russian letter reportedly found on his body recommended that a Major Roman Fillipov Nikolaevich be awarded for his role during the Syrian campaign. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a powerful jihadist-dominated alliance said, on an affiliated media channel it had shot down the plane but made no mention of the pilot. "We were able to bring down the Russian warplane with a shoulder-fired missile above Saraqib in Idlib this afternoon," said Mahmoud al-Turkmani who, according to the statement, heads HTS's "air defence brigade." The wing of a downed Sukhoi-25 fighter jet in Syria's northwest province of Idlib Credit: AFP He said the attack was in retaliation for a ferocious bombing campaign by Russian warplanes over Idlib. HTS, which is dominated by Al-Qaeda's former affiliate in Syria, controls Idlib and has sought to fight back a ferocious Russian-backed assault by Syrian government troops. Rebels have successfully shot down Syrian regime jets in the past but Saturday marked the first time that a Russian warplane was brought down by opposition ground fire. In August 2016, a Russian military helicopter was shot down over Syria and all five people on board were killed. Orient News, an opposition media outlet, claimed that the jet was shot down with an Igla anti-aircraft missile, a shoulder-fired weapon which can be carried by a single man. The rebels have been known to use such weapons, known as man-portable air-defence systems (MANPADS) in the past, but it is not clear who would have supplied them. Western countries have long been wary of supplying rebels with MANPADS for fear they would fall into jihadist hands and could one day be used against Western civilian or military aircraft. The US State Department said it was "deeply concerned" at reports of such a weapon being used. Spokeswoman Heather Nauert told AFP the solution is a return to United Nations-led talks in Geneva and for "Russia to live up to its commitments in that regards." Video released online purports to show the wreckage of a Russian jet in Idlib Credit: Image grabbed from video tweeted by Michael A. Horowitz Verified account Michael Horowitz, a senior analyst at the Le Beck geopolitical consultancy, said the shoot down was not “a game changer” as the Su-25 flies low in support of ground troops and is therefore vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire. “On the tactical level it could change things because the Russian are probably not going to use the Su-25 as much. But on the strategic level I don’t think it’s going to change anything it terms of military balance even in this specific area. “The offensive will probably continue and pro-regime forces will probably be able to continue to advance on Saraqeb,” he said. Russia has been fighting in Syria since September 2015 and its intervention has decisively swung the tides of war in favour of the Assad regime. The regime has also benefited from support by Iran and its proxy the Lebanese militant group Hizbollah.

There’s a potent flu virus infecting Americans this influenza season — even healthy people including a marathon runner and bodybuilder have become seriously ill. But although the flu shot isn’t so effective this year, the vaccine will still probably spare you from the most severe symptoms, hospitalization, or at worst, death. Like most flu seasons, there are a few strains circulating around the country right now, but one of these — dubbed H3N2 – is notably vicious. At worst, it’s taken the lives of children and healthy adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes there is "widespread" flu activity in nearly every region it monitors around the country, and H3N2 was the most frequently identified strain reported as of mid-January. SEE ALSO: The coming Arctic blast probably won't make you sick, but winter definitely can Generally, severe fevers, chills, and fatigue are compelling an unusually high number Americans to seek medical treatment. “Our hospitals are brimming in the ER,” said Joan Faro, Chief Medical Officer at John T. Mather Memorial Hospital on Long Island, New York, in an interview. “Occupancy rates are through the roof.” Even medical professionals are taking extra precautions against this season’s virus. Faro said inoculated staff are wearing masks around sick patients — and that’s something she hasn’t seen before. “There’s an awareness that there’s something going on, something that is a little bit different than previous years,” Faro said. The H3N2 virus, though, has hit the U.S. numerous times before. And when it does, “it tends to be a rougher season,” said Susan Donelan, medical director and assistant professor of infectious disease at Stony Brook University’s School of Medicine, in an interview. “It’s not pretty.” Already this flu season, 37 children have died in the U.S. from the virus, according to the CDC. This virus is exceptionally nasty because it tends to change more than other flu viruses during the course of a season. Donelan calls these slight changes, known as “genetic drift,” little tweaks that occur in the viruses’ genes during or between the flu season. The H3N2 virus' ability to change with time renders the flu vaccine, which is basically a weakened form of several dominant flu viruses, an imperfect match against this year's dominant illness. In essence, those who received the flu shot have spent time preparing to fight a specific invader that, when it finally arrives, ends up presenting itself differently. The flu vaccine becomes “a near match, but it’s not a perfect match,” said Shane Speights, a dean and associate professor of medicine at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University. A CDC map indicating geographic spread of the flu viruses, as of January 20, 2018. The tan areas indicate widespread influenza activity estimates.Image: CDCOur flu vaccines are bred in laboratories months in advance, so the virus has ample time to morph during that period. When this happens, the virus can then successfully attack and reproduce in bodies that have been inoculated. But getting the shot will mitigate the altered viruses’ aggressiveness. “The vaccine certainly still provides a lot of benefits,” explained Speights. “It’s still enough for your body to mount a response.” “It starts creating infantry cells so that when you come in contact with the real thing, it has some resistance to fight it off,” said Speights. And this bit of resistance, said Donelan, “can still keep people from getting really ill, and if hospitalized, can keep them from dying.” For that reason, even if it’s late January or early February — which is quite late in the flu season – Speights emphasized that “It’s not too late to get the vaccine. At minimum, this will “give your body a look at [the virus],” he said. And that seems like wise advice for a strain that can morph quickly, partially outwitting our carefully-developed vaccines. “Influenza is a pretty clever organism,” said Donelan. WATCH: Your next flu shot may be replaced with this patch

HOUSTON (AP) — A kidnapping victim killed during a rescue attempt was shot after grabbing the rifle of an FBI agent when the agent tried to enter the home where the victim was being held, police said Tuesday, describing the incident as tragic.